Albert Pujols will be a Dodger or a Met… and I predict a conspiracy theory

A bizarre and round about series of events and coincidences have made it clear to me that Albert Pujols will almost certainly not be a member of the St. Louis Cardinals next year.

Before Pujols files for free agency, two large market franchises will change ownership and be in position to bid for him, and I believe Bud Selig will be manipulating the whole thing to help preserve his legacy.

That’s right, I am predicting a conspiracy before there are any facts or events to back up my theory. I admit that is no easy trick. But I think I am on to something.

Follow me…

Bud Selig is retiring in 2012. With the steroid era evidently behind him and if baseball avoids a work stoppage (and the NFL and NBA have one) then he will be able to claim that he left the game clean and thriving with labor peace.

But there are four gigantic messes he needs to clean up before riding off into the sunset.

Two won’t be covered here, but I will mention them: The Rays and the A’s stadium disasters. Neither team can last in their current dumps and nor have a viable solution for survival, especially if the Giants can block the A’s move to San Jose. But that is another post.

The big BIG mess is the state of the Mets and Dodgers, two of the flagship franchises of the National League. According to USA Today, only the Yankees and Red Sox are worth more than the Dodgers and those teams plus the Cubs are the only ones worth more than the Mets.

I don’t think it is stretch to call New York and Los Angeles big markets. And guess what? They are both in financial chaos.

The Dodgers have been mismanaged to the point where MLB had to take the unprecedented steps of essentially removing the owner from power. (We’ll see if Frank McCourt surrenders the power of the team.)

And the Mets should be on notice. If the twisted finances of the McCourt divorce can make Selig and company take over the Dodgers, then being swindled by Bernie Madoff (and not being sure what they knew in advance) should be even a greater cause for MLB to step in and take the car keys away from the Wilpons.

In the very least, the Mets should be forced to sell.

So that would mean the Mets and Dodgers would have new ownership going into the 2012 season. And also have a disillusioned fan base, declining attendance and a natural division rival playing well (the Phillies for the Mets and the Giants for the Dodgers.)

Whomever is going to run the Mets and the Dodgers will need to assure their paying customers (and TV viewers and sponsors) that not only are the bad days behind them but glamorous superstar days are ahead.

The Giants were in a similar boat when Peter Magowan took over the team in the wake of the proposed move to Tampa Bay. He found the quickest way to get the fan base energized: He signed the best player in baseball, Barry Bonds.

Which brings us to Albert Pujols. He’s a free agent to be. He has nothing left to prove in St. Louis when he finishes this, his 11th season. He has given the Cardinals a championship, post season heroics, MVPs and done so with class and a flair for the dramatic. And, as I said in a previous video, Cardinal fans can NEVER boo him.

Pujols could need a new challenge in his life, the biggest contract in baseball history and a chance to be a hero in a brand new market.

(See Rose, Pete. See Jackson, Reggie. And Albert is better than both of them!)

And if just so happens that the Dodgers have an opening at first base. I may not be 100% sure how VORP works, but I can guess that Albert Pujols replacing James Loney is an improvement.

And the Mets have Ike Davis, who is a nice player. When you have the chance to get one of the great offensive players of all time, you might think about sacrificing a nice player or two!

Both the Dodgers and the Mets will have new owners, money to spend and a city to impress. And they will BOTH bid on Albert Pujols.

Why do I say that with such certainty? Because Selig will make sure of it. Captain Bud will not let an owner take over the Dodgers nor the Mets unless they were intending on trying to sign Pujols.

It makes sense for the Dodgers to win back their fans and show there is a new era in Chavez Ravine.

It makes sense for the Mets to turn the page on the Wilpon fiasco (and no doubt Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins would welcome Albert’s arrival.)

It makes sense for labor peace as players making big contracts is always looked on fondly by the Players Association.

And it makes sense for Selig as he leave the game with franchises other than the Yankees and Red Sox bidding over the biggest free agents.

And which ever team can’t land Pujols will have a nice consolation prize in Prince Fielder.

Think Selig is above this sort of backroom dealings? Or perhaps not clever enough?

PUH-lease. I am not going to even go into the whole “Used Car Salesman” past of Mr. Selig.

This was the guy who maneuvered the ownership of the Expos, Marlins and Red Sox around so his hand picked successor would take over in Boston instead of the McCourts.

This was the guy who claimed to have no clue about the steroid culture, even though allegations were made public as far back as 1988, when Peter Ueberroth was commissioner.

This was the guy who was part of the owners group that ousted Fay Vincent for not doing their bidding and installing himself as owner/commissioner. It was supposed to be temporary. That was 1992.

This was one of the many owners found guilty of collusion in the 1980s.

Shady wheeling and dealing are right in Bud Selig’s wheelhouse.

So a nudge here and there and making sure the new owners come with an aggressive eye on Albert is not as outlandish as colluding, kicking the commissioner out and not noticing that the players all were bigger than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

You heard it here first on Sully Baseball.

I am declaring it a conspiracy before it actually happens.

Colluding is and always will be part of Bud Selig’s legacy.

After you... no after you

Was it just me or did neither the Mets nor the Giants seemed interested in winning this game tonight?

The Giants get the go ahead run in scoring position in the 8th... Gotch.
The Mets get the go ahead run in scoring position in the 8th... nada.
The Giants load the bases in the 9th... zilch.
The Mets get a lead off double in the bottom of the 9th... zippo.

FINALLY it took a Huff homer in the 10th and even then Wilson lets the tying run aboard and had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 10th.

The World Champs throw Lincecum tomorrow and they'll be back at .500.
Maybe they'll play with some URGENCY tomorrow.

Should Oliver Perez be making demands?

According to the New York Times, Oliver Perez is telling the Mets he doesn't want to be a reliever.

I think the Mets agree. They don't want him to be a reliever... or a starter... or throw anything resembling a pitch in a game.

But if Perez could make demands to the Mets, I suppose the Mets could make a few demands back to Perez:

- Win infinitely more games in 2011 than he did in 2010. (His 2010 record was 0-5.)

- Try to get his ERA BELOW 6.80. (Set realistic goals.)

- Maybe use some of the $36 million that he will make since 2009 to scout and find a decent pitcher. (Or even just a lousy one would be an improvement.)

- Just throw batting practice. (Lord knows the opposing hitters all improve THEIR swings when Perez pitches.)

- Start every fifth day... for whatever team the Mets are playing that day. (That's got to be 30 wins right there!)

- Stop talking about how "This is how we did it in Pittsburgh!" after EVERY loss. (The Mets losing tradition is much more nuanced.)

- Try playing second base. (How could Perez's infield play be any worse than his pitching?)

- Stay in the headlines to distract the press from anything else that might be embarrassing about the Mets front office and financial dealings. (Not that there IS anything.)

- Use some of that $36 million to develop the technology from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. (The Mets need to erase the memory of Perez's last few years from their brain.)

- Care. (OK, maybe that is asking too much.)

Madoff and the Mets

How appropriate is it that Bernie Madoff ripped off the Mets? There is something sadly appropriate about his mid 2000s hustling of the other team in New York with the Mets fortunes (or lack thereof.)

Lots of big promises were made by Madoff and the Mets.
Lots of money changed hands.
Lots of people had images of glory dancing in their heads.
And lots of people felt ripped off when it was all done.

Whether it was an elaborate Ponzi scheme or the brutal contracts and the false promise of the 2006 season, both Ponzi and the Mets squandered lots of money and the ripple effects of it will be felt for a long time.

I thought it was funny how the Wilpons kept insisting that the Madoff scandal didn’t affect their bottom line. But now they are starting to sell off parts of the team… a team filled with expensive yet worthless contracts.

I think the time is perfect for someone out there with a nice pile of money to become a new famous big shot in New York. Think about it. A billionaire who wants fame and adoration can come in, take the Mets way from the Wilpons and before long could be the person to turn the team around.

Then again maybe adding ANOTHER billionaire with big promises to New York isn’t the way to go right now.

Envisioning a bold new National League - My latest article for The Hardball Times

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I envision how competitive (and potentially profitable) the National League could be if the Cubs, Mets and Dodgers were all major contenders at the same time.

Not that that is going to happen in 2011!

You can read the article here.

Carlos Delgado and the missed chance to be a legend in New York - My Latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest for The Hardball Times, I take a look at the solid and dignified career of Carlos Delgado.

But I also wonder what could have been. If the Mets won the 2006 NLCS, he would have been a post season immortal in New York, which means a special place in baseball history. Just ask career journeyman Don Larsen.

You can read the article HERE.

It's the flea market series

The Mets and Dodgers are playing in the ballpark that is a shrine to the history and legacy of the Dodgers: CitiField.

The two teams from the two biggest markets are squaring off. And at this point they are both sub .500 teams with outrageous financial issues.

Let me put it this way:
The Mets could lose up to $100 million over the last two seasons and are involved in one of the great financial scandals of our age... and they are the STABLE one of the two teams.

As Frank McCourt is gearing up for a spectacular flame out, the Dodgers might not even reach payroll for June.

So when you have two expensive bad teams, what can you expect to happen later in the year?

SELL SELL SELL!

So take a look at the talent on display. If you want someone, make an offer.
One team could use a lower payroll every 2 weeks and the other team has already thrown good money after bad in the Oliver Perez/Luis Castillo fiasco.

Make your bids. These teams will look a LOT different on August 1 after the trade deadline!

The Mets are 10% of the way towards making me look right

I took a lot of heat from Mets fans when I predicted their team would lose 90 games.
I have nothing against the Mets, but they weren't good last year and they are older and have the financial stink of the Madoff scandal hanging over the team.

They might dismantle at any moment.

Well, I was called all sorts of names... my sexual preferences were questioned... my weight was pointed out... my IQ was mocked...

And as a Red Sox fan, I really shouldn't be throwing stones about bad starts. But STILL!
After the Mets dropped 4 games at home to the Rockies, the first 3 by one run, the Mets are at 9 losses.

8% of the way through the season and they are 10% of the way towards 90 losses.
That means they can improve their rate of play and still hit 90.

Yeah, I know the Red Sox have 9 losses as well. There's a difference between a bad start and a bad team.

90 losses.
They are 10% of the way there before our taxes are filed.

Spiderman... Mets fan

I bet you didn't know Spiderman was a Mets fan.
It makes sense. I think Peter Parker was from Queens and he had that unlucky Mets quality to his non superhero life.

In this clip from The Electric Company, he takes a break from crime fighting to catch a game at Shea. There he meets up with the super villain "The Wall", whose diabolical plot seems to be to create cheap home runs for the other team.

So Spiderman comes down to the field to help the Mets and is berated by Morgan Freeman.

Folks, that was the single greatest sentence ever written in the history of mankind.


You'd think the Mets would try to make a clearer link to Spiderman.

Maybe instead of constantly honoring the Brooklyn Dodgers, they could have a Spiderman day or have wall for kids to climb up.

If Spiderman were real, no doubt they could sign him. The Mets could pay him more than the Daily Bugle.

But they'd probably find a way to mess it up and they'd have to eat HIS salary too.

I wonder what "Gumbo" Grace Ivy would be making today. (No doubt the "Tom" he is referring to on the mound is Mr. Seaver.)

Enjoy.

I admire this young Met fan in Miami

It's going to be a long season, Met fans.
I said it... 90 losses.

89 left after today. It's going to be a year where players like Josh Johnson are in your division. And the Phillies had a great comeback that will be "Standard Operating Procedure" for the Mets' biggest tormentors.

But this kid clearly cares. He clearly WANTS to the Mets to be good. And he has no memory of 1986. I doubt he remembers the 2000 World Series. Heck, he is young enough that maybe the 2006 might be vague. His only clear memories of the Mets could very well be the collapses of 2007 and 2008 and the non factors of 2009 and 2010.

He is being brought up in the post Madoff mess and still cares.
Folks, THIS is a great sports fan. Keep this ticket stub, pal. Show people "I was THERE when things looked bad for the Mets."

Someday the Mets will be damn good again and you can smile knowing you logged in the pain before the pleasure.

This my dear readers is a GOOD fan!

Is Mike Hampton the least popular New York baseball post season hero ever?

Usually post season glory in New York means immortality and a permanent place in the hearts of a passionate fanbase. Somehow that has eluded Mike Hampton.

He retired today. Yeah, it's the same Mike Hampton. This isn't like Mike Stanton where one retired and the Marlins got another one.

This isn't a Steve Ontiveros situation where somehow two people named Steve Ontiveros made it to the majors.

And it isn't the Mike Hampton who played in the Reds farm system in the 1990s.

The same guy who was a stud for the Astros in the 1990s hung up his spikes today. Last September I was stunned to see Hampton was still cashing a check as a member of the Diamondbacks.

So a big league career that began in 1993 with the Mariners ended in the Diamondbacks spring training camp today.

Of course he had incredible injury issues that forced him to miss two entire seasons and he famously (and expensively) flopped in Colorado. But he had a good solid career with a few terrific seasons sprinkled in there.

Along the way, he made a cameo with the 2000 Mets. The Mets sent Roger Cedeno and Octavio Dotel packing to the Astros after the 1999 season to get Hampton, who finished second to Randy Johnson in the Cy Young vote and won the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award.

He was no slouch with the bat either, batting .311 with a .806 OPS for the Astros in 1999.

He was a free agent to be, but the Mets had a World Series run on their mind and adding Hampton to the rotation could have been just what the doctor ordered to catch the Braves.

He may not have been a Cy Young contender in 2000, but he won 15, pitched 217 2/3 innings and let up the fewest home runs per nine innings in the league.

He out pitched Andy Pettitte in a July 9th win against the Yankees.

The Mets finished a game behind Atlanta but made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They defeated the Giants and advanced to the NLCS with revenge on their mind for their heartbreaking 1999 loss to the Braves. There would be no rematch as the Cardinals unseated the Braves.

Hampton pitched 7 shutout innings to win Game 1. Then, with the Mets up 3-1 in the series, took the ball for Game 5. The bullpen took the night off as once again, St. Louis couldn't score off of Hampton.

He went all 9 innings and the Mets won the pennant.



The image of Mike Hampton being lifted off the ground in triumph should be a cherished moment in Mets history.

Mike Hampton was awarded the NLCS Most Valuable Player Award for 2000.

He is the ONLY Mets player to win that award. (They didn't have an MVP for the 1969 and 1973 NLCS and Astros Mike Scott won the award in a losing effort for 1986.)

So he is a beloved Met, right?

At least a Met you'd give a standing ovation to, right?

When I wrote my Home Grown Vs. Acquired series a few years ago, I put Hampton on the All Time Acquired Mets Team. My rationale was I tended to honor players who had post season glory. And I didn't expect to get much flak from Met fans about honoring a guy who pitched the team into the World Series.

It was almost unanimous that I was dead wrong.
While the name calling didn't get as bad as this week's barrage from Met fans, they couldn't understand why I was heaping such praise on Mike Hampton.

"He won two games. Big deal!" One guy wrote to me.
Um, the clinching game of the League Championship Series IS a big deal! Or so I thought.

Most people thought I should have included Johan Santana based on his then one season with the Mets. (I wonder how many would still include him.)

But I have yet to hear from a Met fan who shares my praise of their lone NLCS MVP.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he beat the Cardinals and not the Braves that made his achievement lack any resonating emotion. (Beating Whitey Herzog's Cardinals in the 1980s would have been bigger.

Maybe it is because he pitched poorly against the Yankees in the World Series that any enthusiasm for his LCS triumph was muted.

Of course he made no friends in New York by leaving after one season and claiming his desire to go to Colorado had more to do with their school system than the fact that he got the biggest contract for any pitcher at that time in history. ($14 million a year should pay for tuition at a good private school.)

Either way it is unfortunate. For one season he pitched well for the Mets and joined a very short list of pitchers who clinched a pennant for the Mets:

Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw, Jesse Orosco and Mike Hampton.

That should be worth some love.

As for Mike Hampton, I salute you.
16 big league seasons, a Cy Young runner up, 148 wins, 2 All Star Game appearances, a Gold Glove, a 20 win season in 1999, 5 Silver Sluggers, a post season MVP and the experience of being the pitcher who gets mobbed after a clinching game are all things to admire.

$124 million in cashed checks is something we would ALL want.

Money might not be able to buy you love from Met fans... but we here at Sully Baseball will show your greatest highlight.

Sorry Met fans... I am writing another post about your team

I've not made many Met fan friends recently... partially based on the passing around of my "Better use of $18 million" post. But forgive me, I need to write something else.

I said the Mets are going to lose 90 games.
From the responses by Met fans, you would have thought I said "The Lakers are going to miss the playoffs."

After many comments about my weight, intelligence and sexual orientation, the consensus was that I am an idiot for thinking a team that lost 83 games last year will lose 90 in 2011.

Mainly because some of their players MIGHT come back and some others COULD have comeback years.

Now I have already covered the facts that the Mets improvements are cosmetic and that the Phillies, Braves and Marlins all have better starting staffs... but folks, I saw an article today that made me think "Oh boy... this is going to be a worse year than I thought for the Mets."

REPORT: METS LOST $50M IN 2010; 2011 MAY BE SAME

Yup. The Mets who play in New York and have a brand spanking new stadium and their own TV network could lose a combined $100 million bucks in two seasons.

Revenues are down and so is attendance.

And with the Madoff scandal hovering over the team (sorry folks, that elephant will be there until the team is sold) the Wilpons are almost certainly be forced to sell the team at one point.

So what do teams do that are on the verge of financial ruin, tangled in national scandal and will be forced to sell?

Do they make improvements to the team?
Do they acquire players to help them win the pennant?
Or do they start chucking bodies overboard?

Guess what?
If Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, Jason Bay, Francisco Rodriguez, Taylor Buchholz, Chris Capuano or D. J. Carrasco are healthy and productive in 2011, they will be shipped off for minor leaguers and smaller price tags.

Think David Wright won't be traded?

It's not probable, but we are currently treading in uncharted financial waters.

You can't look at this team like a typical rebuilding process. A New York team should never be in "Tampa Bay mode" and looking to shed its stars because of lack of revenue. But that is what we are looking at with this team.

Any player a Met fan is looking at as hope for improvement will probably be used to relieve debt.

It is not going to be a pretty year, Met fans.
Go to the games. Prove your loyalty.

And in 5 years when Donald Trump owns the team and they are contenders again, you can point to all the bandwagon Met fans and say "Hey! Were YOU at CitiField when they were crumbling under the Madoff scandal?"

My wife made a Schindler's List analogy with my blog tonight

My wife compared me to a Nazi running a concentration camp tonight. It's not often that happens. I will explain why.

I was about to write a long post where I respond to many of my new readers. My post yesterday about the Mets and their wasted $18 million brought in literally thousands of readers and many comments.

And very few of the comments were “Hey, I thought your post was funny. I am looking forward to more of your wit and humor in the future.”

A reader named Dave wrote "your just dumb" and sadly will never know how ironic that is. (When I corrected him, he called me a dick and said it was a typo. Sorry Dave, it isn't a typo when you think you typed it correctly.)

An anonymous reader told me to "suck a fat cock u negative fool."
A fellow named Stephen called me a "complete idiot" and there were others.

My assertion that the Mets would lose 90 games got the most flak.
The team lost 83 games last year and their only improvements seem to be role players and getting rid of bad players.

Meanwhile the Phillies added Cliff Lee. The Braves added Dan Uggla. The Marlins pitching staff is deep and they play those three teams 54 times this year.

Throw in the fact that they have a manager who hasn't managed in a decade and was HATED in Houston and with the Angels.

And oh yeah, the Mets won't have Santana and have the specter of the Madoff scandal hanging over their head which could mean a fire sale at mid season.

And even the most optimistic appraisals of the team have them at .500.

But 90 losses is an outrageous prediction?

So I was cracking my knuckles tonight, ready to give it to all of them. Besides, they are all Met fans. Between 1986 and 2003, I don't recall getting any sympathy from them! Living in New York, all I heard from Met fans was "Buckner" (or "Schraldi" from smart Met fans.)

And my wife didn't approve.

WIFE: Show them some mercy.
ME: Why? They called your husband bad names.
WIFE: Remember that scene in Schindler's List?
ME: There was a baseball scene in Schindler's List?
WIFE: No. Liam Neeson told Ralph Finnes to show mercy and that was more powerful. Don't give them power. You know they are wrong. So show mercy.

I paused.

ME: So in this analogy the Met fans are in a concentration camp?
WIFE: Don't over think it.
ME: And in this analogy I am a Nazi commandant?
WIFE: I'm going to bed.

Some martial advice for you all... always go to bed with your spouse comparing you to a Nazi.

Welcome to the Nationals Mr. Perez

He is a lock to win 15 games with the Nats!
And he will be a bargain at $414,000 for Washington (and just $12 million for the Mets.)

I evidently struck a nerve with Met fans

Yesterday I posted a tongue in cheek Sully Baseball entry where I tried to figure out better ways for the Mets to spend $18 million other than paying Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez to play elsewhere.

Yeah it was sarcastic and not 100% serious... and the result (partially thanks to links on Mets Blog and Amazin' Avenue) was I had more visitors in a single day to Sully Baseball than any other day in my existence. WOO HOO!

And by the comments and e mails I received, most of them were Met fans who now hate me.

I must say, Met fans can be kind of sensitive. It could be the fact that they are surrounded by Red Sox, Yankee and Met fans who have all had a World Series title to celebrate since Carlos Beltran saw that called third strike.

It could be the collapses of 2007 and 2008 and the Madoff scandal and the losing teams with an elite payroll have taken away their sense of humor.

Later tonight I will address my favorite comments I received.

Whatever you do, when a team with a top 5 payroll coming off of back to back losing seasons that virtually nobody is picking to have a .500 season is involved in one of the great financial scandals in decades, NEVER insinuate that they are poorly run!

A tip for the Mets… 10 better ways to spend $18 million

The Mets will have the 5th highest payroll in baseball and will probably lose 90 games in 2011, ergo they aren’t spending their money wisely.

A case in point, the Mets are paying Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo a combined $18 million to NOT play for them this year. Good money in a recession.

The staff at Sully Baseball can’t claim to be an economic think tank, but here are some helpful suggestions to what could be a better use of $18 million than spending it on Castillo and Perez.

BUY ALL 8 MILLION PEOPLE IN NEW YORK 2 PACKS OF GUM

For a few days, everyone in New York will have no excuse for bad breath.

SPONSOR 36,000 LITTLE LEAGUE TEAMS

At least the Mets will be paying them to PLAY!

GO TO A ROULETTE TABLE AND SAY “$18 MILLION ON RED!”

The odds of that money going completely to waste went down by 50%!

ERASE THE DEFICIT FOR NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL LUNCHES

Right now the $8 million deficit in the school lunch program is threatening some schools for cutting lunch all together. Pick up the tab on that and maybe spend the extra $10 million on something more nutritious than tater tots.

BUY 1,285,714 COPIES OF I’LL BELIEVE YOU ON AMAZON

Seeing the Indie film I directed become profitable is a much better story than paying for two players to go away. At least it is a better story for me.

DONATE $50,750 TO EACH PBS STATION

Maybe they spin it into “Tote Bag Night” or “Prime Suspect DVD Night” at CitiField.

HELP THE BUNNY WORLD FOUNDATION
SPAY OR NEUTER 1,800,000 RABBITS

Or are YOU going to take care of all of those bunnies?

BUY 818,181 CHOCOLATE COOKIE GIFT BOXES FROM THE LEVAIN BAKERY

Seriously, have you had one of the cookies from the Levain Bakery? They are so much more satisfying than anything Oliver Perez has done in a Mets uniform.

TURN 125 NEW YORK TEENS INTO MBA GRADUATES

Let’s say the Mets found 125 smart teenagers in New York public schools who couldn’t afford college. They pay for four years of Brooklyn College for all 125 (including student housing.) Then after they all get their Bachelors degrees, they pay their way through the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. By 2018, they will have 125 young minds with MBAs and inevitably ONE of them would be able give the Mets some sound business advice. (How could they be worse than the financial wizards who put them into this mess!)

THROW 18 MILLION ONE DOLLAR BILLS INTO THE HUDSON RIVER

Who knows? Some might float back to them.

Fantasy Baseball Advice: PICK UP LUIS CASTILLO

The flaming dirigible known as the New York Mets are starting to chuck out live bodies before the carnage continues.

Luis Castillo, best known for dropping a potential game ending pop up against the Yankees, has been cut. Still owed $6 million, the Mets realized that they are better using that money to pay him to play elsewhere. (More money wisely spent by the Mets!)

They couldn't even trade him away in one of my trash for trash deals.

And now, with Chase Utley hurt, it looks like Castillo is going to be picked up by the rival Phillies.

Pick him up!
Yes, I know he was HORRIBLE last year. That's not the point. He's only a year removed from being a .300 hitter with 20 stolen bases. But he is also a two time former World Series champ (with the Marlins) and a former Gold Glover and All Star who was just humiliated.

Revenge is a wonderful motivating factor.
So is inflicting humiliation. The idea of picking up a pay check every two weeks from the Mets while helping the Phillies back to the World Series could lead Castillo to a career season!

If he has one more good season in him, he is going to dig down and shove it in the Mets face.
And if and when that happens, he might as well help your Fantasy Baseball team.

The Mets and Cubs should trade their trash

I am currently writing a new post for The Hardball Times where I try to put together a mega trade involving lousy contracts.



I wrote two similar pieces last off season... one where I had a three way trade involving Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano and Barry Zito.



The other one was a 9 team 11 player deal that was totally insane... although one part of it DID come true: Carlos Silva was in fact traded for Milton Bradley.



So I was doing the same thing this year... put together a mega trade of insanely bad long term contracts (Zito, Wells and Soriano are still subjects although Wells did have a good year for Toronto.)



And I was going to suggest which expensive short team deals should be swapped. (As I said before, who knows? A change of scenery might be what some of these guys need.)



As I was compiling a list of rotten 2011 contracts, I noticed something.

A lot of them were Met players.

And a lot of them were on the Cubs.



It just goes to show that a big payroll does not always mean a winning product.

The Cubs had the highest payroll in the National League.

The Mets had the third highest payroll in the National League.



Both had losing seasons and were not a factor in any playoff chase.



But guess what, Cubs and Mets fans! A lot of the same players who put on an uninspired yet expensive show for you ARE COMING BACK!



I say let's shake a few things up.



Take the bad contracts for the Mets, swap them for the bad contracts from the Cubs.

The worst thing that will happen is they will both have bad teams with big payrolls.



But guess what? That will happen no matter what!



The best thing that could happen is one of the players blossoms in a new environment. Maybe a new coach will give him some good advice. Maybe a player will relax wearing a new uniform without people reminding him how awful his contract is.



Maybe a new player will just fit in well with a different group of guys.



Maybe someone will say "Hey, my contract is running out. I should pull an Adrian Beltre and put together a great season."



So let's make the big trade.

The Cubs acquire





Carlos Beltran





Jason Bay





Francisco Rodriguez





Luis Castillo



plus Cash

The Mets acquire





Carlos Zambrano







Aramis Ramirez





Kosuke Fukudome





Carlos Silva





John Grabow

So let's take a look at what each team gets...



THE CUBS

If they catch lightning in a bottle, they can get Carlos Beltran playing for one more contract and have the yoke of New York off of his shoulders.



They can get Jason Bay happy to be swinging in a hitters ballpark again.



It is safe to say that Francisco Rodriguez isn't fitting in with New York. But what if all he needs is a change of scenery?



And Luis Castillo... wouldn't it be nice to see the guy who hit "The Bartman Ball" in Wrigleyville?



THE METS

Carlos Zambrano's time in Chicago might be winding down. Yeah he looked like a good soldier coming back, but anytime a team's ace needs time away for some sort of anger management, it might be time to change addresses. If he gets his act together he can be a wonderful 1-2 punch with Santana. Or he could beat up new manager Terry Collins. Either way, it would be fun to watch.



Aramis Ramirez has been super injury prone since signing his behemoth of a contract so maybe a change of position would be ideal for him. First base? Left field? Or probably sitting his butt on the bench while on the disabled list.



Kosuke Fukudome hasn't been the Ichiro type of superstar that the Cubs were hoping for. But he has some pop in his bat and maybe decreased expectations could help. Thanks to Kaz Matsui, there is no way he will ever be the biggest Japanese flop in Mets history. And if he plays badly for the Mets, it's not like he has a last name that New York fans could turn into an obscene chant.



With Carlos Silva the Mets get a guy who got off to a great start last year before injuries caught up with him. Perhaps he can stay healthy long enough to contribute. After Santana, Pelfrey and Zambrano, he'd be a nice #4 starter.



And John Grabow had a truly rotten year for the Cubs... but he is left handed and can pitch, ergo he is a millionaire several times over.







After the dust settles on this trade, the Cubs would have sent $82.16 million in payroll to the Mets.



The Mets would have sent $87 million in payroll to the Cubs (so the cash makes up the difference.)



And after 2011, all of the players would be off the Mets roster save for Carlos Zambrano who would have one more season at $18 million... so they would have almost $65 million of salaries coming off the books for 2012.



The Cubs? They would be on the hook for Jason Bay, but he could be an ideal fit in that hitters ballpark the way he was in Boston. Meanwhile they'd have $55 million to spend after the 2011 season.



But then again, neither one of these teams seem very good at spending money wisely. Otherwise they wouldn't have to deal all of these big contracts.



Now for those of you who are wondering why I didn't include Alfonso Soriano nor Oliver Perez in these deals... well just wait. I am working out two more blockbuster trades that should happen but won't.



Players WILL be on the move!



At least in my strange parallel universe.